Poolgate: The Head of the Court of Appeal – Sofia with a pool and a guest house financed by EU funds

The President of the Sofia Court of Appeal, Daniela Doncheva, while she was an appellate judge and subsequently Deputy President (2009-20016) in the same court, acquired a guest house with an outdoor pool, financed by the SFA with BGN 236,219. from the European funds. The guest house is registered to a company owned by the mother and husband of the judge.

During the monitoring period, the company “Dalia-08”, which has won EU funding, reports zero personnel costs. By 2016, when the monitoring of the project expires, the company has generated net sales revenues totaling BGN 98,000, which means that the business plan has not been implemented.

The house has been categorized as a tourist site shortly after the big scandal with the mothers-in-law houses broke out in April 2019. The order of the mayor of Dolna Banya for the categorization is from 25.04.2019. This is in the very midst of the scandal after the resignation of Deputy Minister of Economy Alexander Manolev, owner of such a house with a mineral pool, revealed by Bivol in a publication on April 12, 2019. The mayor of Dolna Banya himself has also acquired a guest house with European funding.

All this indicates that the house was mainly for personal use and not for the development of tourism under the rural program, which is the purpose of these EU funds. Only after the scandal with the “mothers-in-law” broke out, the owners tried to gloss over the situation with registration and categorization, as well as staff costs.

Despite all the evidence that the house is fake, no SFA sanction has been imposed. There is evidence that the prosecutor’s office refused to initiate pre-trial proceedings for this project after the mass inspection of guest houses several years ago.

In addition to the property for the house, the family acquires a cheap and municipal property nearby. Both properties are in Fr. Dolna Banya – resort with mineral baths with hot mineral water. Our inspection showed that Doncheva She did not declare increased area of the second plot of land and building listed in the Cadastre. In two property declarations (2008 and 2016) she managed to declares false data concerning the same title deed.

In July 2016, Judge Daniela Doncheva was elected President of the Sofia Court of Appeal, and from May 2022 she was a second term at the head of the court as the only candidate for the post.

“House for mother-in-law” in the name of mother and man

In 2005 Emilia Nanova, mother of appellate judge Doncheva, bought a house with a yard in the town of Dolna Banya for BGN 21,000. Salespeople are family. In 2007, Nanova sold 1/3 id. h. from the house and the plot for 1 200 EUR the husband of the judge Iliya Karamuchev. In 2008, Nanova and Karamuchev sold for 3,460 only the land of their company “DALIA-08

“” Ltd. Subsequently, the company was approved by the SFA and received 236 219 BGN EU funding for guest house.

The project is estimated at a total of BGN 337,000. In the courtyard of the guest house there is an outdoor pool. It is not clear what the origin of this amount is. The husband of the judge Iliya Karamuchev has a construction company “Il Stroy”, but she has not reported any income for the period 2007 – 2012 and the investment of BGN 337,000. It has been in the guest house since 2011.

Bargain with municipal property

In 2007, the husband of the judge Iliya Karamuchev bought from the Municipality of Dolna Banya another neighboring property for BGN 18,300. The area of the plot at the time of purchase is 606 sq.m. The plot to date has an area of 631 square meters., according to the Cadastre. In the title deed there is no data about buildings, if such were then in the property. In the Cadastre there is an inscribed building with a built-up area of 20 sq. M.

Declaring false data or accidental errors?

Daniela Doncheva has not declared increased by 25 sq. m. area of the landed property and a building with a built-up area of 20 sq. M. in Fr. Dolna Banya. According to the Cadastre, the property is already in area. 631 sq. m. M., and the building is listed in the Cadastre. Temporary buildings can also be seen on the available satellite images in the cadastral maps. The declaration of changes is required under the provisions of the Judicial System Act (JSA) and the Anti-Corruption Act (ZPKONPI). But the head of the SAS Daniela Doncheva, as in the case of the head of the Supreme Administrative Court Georgi Cholakov, has not declared the changes in the property.

In July 2016 Judge Daniela Doncheva She was elected Chairman of the Sofia Court of Appeal. Then she was Deputy Chairman of the Court and as a candidate for the post submitted a property declaration to the SJC. In it, the second property in Dolna Banya, purchased by her husband from the municipality, is described with an area of 498 sq. m. (less than real) and with acquisition date 19.12.2008 (later than the real one). These two circumstances differ from the data in the submitted by Judge Doncheva declaration in 2008. The property has an area of 600 square meters. (again smaller than the real one), and the acquisition cost is 22 000 lv. (higher than that in note act).

Thus, Judge Daniela Doncheva manages to declare false data in two property declarations. The title deed shows that the plot at the purchase is 606 SqM and was acquired by her husband for BGN 18,300. On 11.10.2007 these accidental or deliberate errors raise more questions and raise doubts about what else Judge Doncheva may have distorted or hidden.

Our team is looking for comment on Judge Doncheva and will publish her explanation of the house and discrepancies in her property declarations.

“Strong corrupt smell…”

In 2017, the President of the Sofia Court of Appeal, Daniela Doncheva, seized all cases of Judge Judge Milen Vassilev, including a “case for 102 million” of Corpbank’s assets.. This is done by her order, with which Doncheva actually distributes the controversial case.

Judge Milen Vassilev then accused

his boss Daniela Doncheva and saw in her actions a “strong corrupt smell“:

“In the events described in this way, I have a strong doubt that this is

a manifestation of corruption

on your part (although I have no evidence for the latter)”

After the scandal, Judge Daniela Doncheva He recused himself in the case. The Judicial Inspectorate exoneratesShe filed a defamation lawsuit against Judge Vassilev. In the end, Doncheva lost the penalty area. lawsuit against Judge Milen Vassilev. The decision of the District Court was upheld by the Plovdiv District Court. But their act is hidden, and I wonder why!

As we revealed earlier, the President of the Supreme Administrative Court Georgi Cholakov owns a guest house with a swimming pool with hot mineral water, purchased for only BGN 10,000. His property

is in the village of Pchelin, in the area of a resort with mineral baths and a spring with hot mineral water in the municipality. Kostenets. However, he did not use European funding, unlike his colleague.

Despite the evidence of a simulated deal, deception of the fiscal and “corrupt odor”, so far there is no reaction from the KPKONPI or the NRA, and the Inspectorate saw no reason to investigate itself.

Lead photo: Guest House in Dolna Banya | BIRD.bg
Daniela Doncheva – Chairman of the Sofia Court of Appeal | Journal

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